The present invention relates to the general technical field of heating or cooking apparatus conceived for frying in a bath of oil in particular.
The present invention concerns a cooking apparatus for food, in particular for frying in a bath of oil, comprising a vessel mounted in a removable manner in a frame, as well as heating means disposed in the vessel, which are associated with heat-controlling means, heat protection means and means for detecting the presence of the vessel.
The present invention concerns more particularly, but not exclusively, an electric fryer with a removable vessel intended for cooking foods such as french fries, meat or fish, and comprising means for detecting the presence of the vessel.
Conventional electric fryers having a fixed tank have been known for a number of years. Current models comprise in particular a thermal isolation of the lateral walls providing better safety against the risks of burning by contact. Nevertheless, cleaning of these apparatus remains a difficult operation, despite the presence of a removable lid.
Fryers having a removable vessel can be cleaned much better, particularly when the removable vessel is covered with a protective layer of a non-stick material such as PTFE. Nevertheless, these apparatus are often costly and complex. These apparatus, in order to satisfy safety norms, must include devices which prevent their utilization when they are in a bad configuration, for example, the absence of a vessel, poor positioning of the vessel, even insufficient filling of the vessel.
The document WO-A-96/05761 presents particularly a fryer with a removable vessel comprising a safety device intended to interrupt the electric supply when the vessel is not sufficiently filled, or when the vessel is not present in the frame of the apparatus. In these two cases, it is a question of assuring the safety of the user and avoiding any damage which can be caused to the apparatus.
This device comprises detection means adapted on the one hand to detect if the vessel is substantially empty and in this case to open the electric supply circuit for the heating means, and on the other hand to detect if the vessel is filled in a manner to achieve a preestablished minimum weight, in order in this case to close the supply circuit for the heating means, as well as means adapted to close or open the electric supply circuit for the heating means when the removable vessel is respectively present or absent in the frame.
Such a device quite obviously permits protecting the user from a dangerous or harmful situation which can be created by placing the heating means into operation while the apparatus is not in a normal configuration. This device permits in particular avoidance of overheating due to heating while empty, likely to lead to the melting of the thermal protection fuse of the apparatus.
This device nevertheless has a number of pieces in order to perform the safety functions corresponding to the different cases to be considered: vessel missing, absence or two small a quantity of cooking cofactor or medium in the vessel. Taking into account the weight of the vessel to permit functioning of the apparatus implies the utilization of calibrated biassing means. This device is consequently complex and thus costly.